A CLOSELY GUARDED CAMP.
The darkness, which comes so quickly after sunset in that far Southern
country, with almost no intervening twilight, effectually prevented our
explorers from seeing where they were going. They only knew from the
stars that their general direction was east, or directly into the heart
of the Everglades. They were even unable to study the countenances,
dress, or general appearance of the young Indians who, standing in
the bow and stern of each canoe, drove it forward with unerring
judgment and at a considerable speed by means of long push poles. These
poles were quite slender; but each terminated at its lower end in an
enlargement, formed by fastening a short bit of wood to either side
that prevented it from sinking deeply into the sand or grass roots
against which it was set.
The canoes in which our voyagers were now travelling were as different
from their own dainty craft as one boat can be from another. Nor
did they bear the least resemblance to the bark canoes of Northern
Indians, there being no Southern bark similar to that of the Northern
birch, or suitable for canoe-building. They were simply dugouts, from
twenty to twenty-five feet long by about three feet broad, hollowed
with great skill from huge cypress logs. Their lines were fine, and, as
our friends afterwards discovered, they are capital sailing craft in
any wind, except dead ahead.
When a Seminole decides to build one of these canoes, he first selects
and fells his tree, cutting off a section of the required length, and
free from knots or cracks. The upper surface of this is hewn smooth,
with a slight sheer rise fore and aft. On this smooth surface a plan
of the canoe is carefully outlined with charcoal, and then the outside
is laboriously worked into shape with hatchets. The hollowing out of
the inside is accomplished by fire and hatchets, and, considering
the limited supply of tools at the builders' disposal, the result is
a triumph of marine architecture. Hatchets and knives are the only
tools used in the making of the masts, spars, paddles, push poles, and
spear handles that are needed for the equipment of each canoe. The
ingenious builders also cut and sew their own sails, which they make
of unbleached muslin bought from the trader on Biscayne Bay. Although
they use no keels, centre-boards, nor lee-boards, they manage by
holding their paddles firmly against the side of the canoe and deep in
the water to sail close-hauled, and to keep her up to the wind in a
manner that is truly surprising. The Indians take great pride in their
canoes and value them highly, for, as they are without horses, roads,
or any considerable area of dry land, these are their sole means of
transportation and communication between the different parts of the
vast territory over which they roam.
After travelling several miles, this first voyage of our explorers in
Indian canoes ended at a heavily wooded islet, between the trees of
which they could see the welcome glow of a camp-fire. To their great
delight, as they reached the shore, they found their own canoes and
the cruiser safely moored to it. In spite of their joy at again seeing
these, they were too hungry and too impatient to visit the Indian
village to do more just then than assure themselves that their own
boats were all right. Then they hurried towards the fire.
There was a roomy palmetto hut standing near it; but to their surprise
the firelight disclosed only a single human figure, which, as they drew
near, proved to be that of Quorum. He was hard at work cooking supper,
and only acknowledged their presence with a grin, and the announcement
that it would be ready in a few minutes.
Turning to the hut, they saw that it had been recently erected, and
that it contained their own rolls of bedding, besides the little bags
of toilet articles belonging to Lieutenant Carey and the boys, which
Quorum had thoughtfully taken from the canoes and placed ready for
their use.
"I never realized the luxury of brushes and combs before!" exclaimed
Worth, as he occupied the time before supper with making what was
probably the most elaborate toilet ever seen in the Everglades.
Meanwhile the Lieutenant was questioning Quorum as to the location of
the Indian village, and was disappointed to find the negro as ignorant
on the subject as himself. Quorum thought it must be on some other
island, as this certainly was not the place to which he had been taken
the night before. He said that on arriving there he had found the
canoes and cruiser, the hut built, and the fire lighted. The young
Indian who had brought him had helped carry the things up to the hut,
and also given him some venison and vegetables in exchange for a small
quantity of coffee and sugar. He had remained there until shortly
before the arrival of the others, and Quorum had not noticed when he
disappeared. Before leaving, he had told Quorum that, by the chief's
orders, the white men would remain on that island until the following
evening.
"Oh, we will, will we?" said Lieutenant Carey, whose pride chafed
against receiving orders from an Indian, even if he was a chief.
"With our own boats at hand, I don't see what is to hinder us from
leaving when we please. I wish that chief would hurry up and put in an
appearance. I want to have a few words with him."
He now for the first time realized that the young Indians who had
brought them there had not followed them to the camp, and he stepped
down to the water's edge to see what they were doing. To his dismay he
found that they had not only disappeared, but had taken the canoes and
cruiser with them. Greatly provoked at this, he returned to the camp
in a very unpleasant frame of mind, mentally abusing the Indians, and
regretting that, by accepting their conditions, he had so completely
placed himself in their power. His good-nature was somewhat restored
by the supper, which was most bountiful and well cooked, and by the
soothing pipe smoke that followed it; for among other things, Quorum
had not neglected to bring up a plentiful supply of tobacco.
After supper, as he and the boys lay outstretched on their blankets
within the hut, the open side of which faced the fire, the Lieutenant
acknowledged that their present position was a vast improvement on that
of the night before. The boys agreed with him, though at the same time
they were even more disappointed than he at not finding themselves in
an Indian village. That was one of the things they had most counted on
seeing in the Everglades. Having finally decided to make the best of
their situation, and to obtain the greatest possible amount of comfort
and pleasure from it, they turned in, and slept soundly until morning.
They were so thoroughly tired with their various hardships and labors
of the two preceding days and nights that they slept late, and the sun
had already been up for several hours before they answered the negro's
call to breakfast. He said that though he had been down to the shore
several times after water, he had seen no signs of either canoes or
Indians. Thus to all appearances they were not only the sole occupants
of the island, but of the 'Glades as well.
As they had nothing else to do, the Lieutenant proposed to the boys
that they should explore this new island, and make such discoveries of
other islands and the intervening 'Glades as could be seen from its
shores. They readily agreed to this, and the three set forth. They had
not gone more than a hundred yards from camp when they were suddenly
confronted by a young Indian, armed with a rifle, which he pointed
at them, at the same time making other signs to them to go back. At
first they were greatly startled by his unexpected appearance. Then
the Lieutenant undertook to remonstrate with him, and to explain that
they only wanted to walk harmlessly about and view the landscape, but
all in vain. The stolid-faced young savage either could not or would
not understand. He only shook his head without uttering a word, but
continued to make signs for them to go back.
"This is one of the strangest and most irritating things that I ever
heard of!" exclaimed Lieutenant Carey, after finding his efforts to
communicate with the Indian unavailing. "If we only had our guns, I'd
make that fellow let us pass or know the reason why. As we haven't any,
and he has one, the argument is too one-sided, and we might as well
retire from it as gracefully as possible. Let us try another direction,
and find out if that is also guarded." They tried in two other places,
only to be repulsed by other determined young guards who, mute as
statues, were equally stolid and impervious to argument.
[Illustration: "THEY WERE SUDDENLY CONFRONTED BY AN INDIAN ARMED WITH A
RIFLE."]
There was nothing to do but to return to the hut and make the best of
the situation. From there no signs of an Indian was to be seen; but
let one of the inmates of the camp stroll beyond its limits in any
direction, and the woods seemed to swarm with them, though the guards
probably did not number more than half a dozen in all.
The day was passed in eating, sleeping, and in discussing their
peculiar situation. They were evidently prisoners, though to all
appearances as free as air; but, as Lieutenant Carey said, there was
no chance of their escaping from the island anyhow, so why they should
be denied the privilege of walking about it he could not understand.
Quorum was equally in the dark with the rest, and said that nothing of
the kind had been intimated by the chiefs during their talk with him.
It was finally decided that instead of being on a small island as they
had supposed, they must be at one end of a large one that contained a
village at the other, which, for some unknown reason, the Indians did
not choose they should visit. With this solution of the problem they
were forced to content themselves, and they waited with impatience the
coming of night, when, according to what Ul-we had told Quorum, their
journey was to be resumed.